snake makes friend with mouse..help

[slithermama]

my 4 year old royal ball python seems to have made friends with a certain male mouse... whats wrong with him? do i keep trying with a new mouse or is this normal from time to time? please help, teach me..yes i am new to the world of snakes but i really love this guy and it makes me nervous when for the first time in a month and a half that we have had him that he hasn't ate a mouse on time...:sad:

[alessia55]

He's just not interested in feeding right now. Is he due for a shed soon? Also, is there a reason you're feeding him live rather than frozen/thawed?

Edit: do NOT leave the mouse in there with him unsupervised. If he's not interested in eating, take that mouse away.

[infernalis]

Welcome to the forum..

Your snake is in no way shape or form "friends" with the mouse. ;)

You need to get that mouse out of there, and do it immediately! I cannot stress this enough. Mice will take bites out of snakes, they have even skinned pythons alive in the cage.

I will spare you the graphic photos, but this is absolutely true.

Posting more soon, Just go get that mouse out of the snakes cage now and then come back to your computer after you are done.

[Gungirl]

Listen to Wayne and Alessia...

Leaving the mouse in the enclosure is very dangerous.

[KORBIN5895]

Woot woot!!!! A newbruswicker!! Welcome aboard!

[Lankyrob]

Any reason why a 4yr old BP is eating mice? He should be eating rats to satisfy his hunger, a mouse just wont do it. The rat should also be frozen thawed and reheated not live unless you want the snake injured.

BP's regulalry go off feed for various reasons, just offer food at 7 or 14 day intervals until it starts to eat again. Ours went three months withou eating around about last xmas-march time

[slithermama]

like i said i am new to the world of ball pythons.. i didn't leave the mouse in his feed enclosure for no longer than it took me to take the pic. he has never let a mouse last long enough to even blink and see where it went .. he does not like f/t mice or rats at all, and wont take a rat live or otherwise. he has always since we have had him preferred those white adult mice. i called my vet and she said that he is more than likely due for a shed and just to offer another mouse in a few days if he hasn't shed by then. i have seen him show signs of getting ready for a shed so i will let him stretch out of the climbing rack in the shower, he likes that so maybe will help this pesky shed get started so he can eat again. and hey to fellow newbrunswicker i live in lincoln , think i am the only person here with a snake lol.

[Lankyrob]

In comparison to the girth of the snake how big is the mouse? I cant picture any mouse being big enough to even leave a slight bump in a 4yr old bp?

[slithermama]

they are actually really plump mice to be honest , and he eats one every Monday at supper time.

[alessia55]

Is he only eating 1 adult mouse? how often? I can't imagine that would be enough, seeing as my 2yr old male bp could easily eat 3 adult mice in one feeding (but he's now being switched over to f/t rats). It would not be impossible to switch your 4yr old ball python to f/t rats. It might be cheaper for you, and safer for your snake. Something to think about :)

[slithermama]

again i have tried and this is what he has preferred i do try here and there still but no interest at all.

[alessia55]

Putting the live vs f/t topic aside... I'm more concerned that 1 adult mouse might not be enough for your 4yr old ball python. My 2yr old male ball python can eat 3 adult mice in a sitting. It would help if you could show us a photo of your snake with some reference (like a pencil etc), or post his weight.

If you are interested in switching him over to f/t rats, there are a ton of threads on here about how to do that successfully :)

[Valvaren]

Its not something you can try here and there, its something you have to commit to doing for the health and safety of your snake, there are lots of methods to try and a few of them require 'tough love'.

[slithermama]

i would but seem to be having a problem uploading a pic of any sort.
CIMG0367.jpg

[slithermama]

CIMG0367.jpg

[slithermama]

nope not working grrrr. he honestly may not be four either, the guy we got him from seemed a lil shady but again bare with me i am new and he is trying to get rid of his snakes for 40 bucks each so i jumped at the chance , plus he has been happy and content and very friendly and tame since we have had him.

[alessia55]

Get a photobucket account (photobucket.com). Upload the photo, then use the [IMG] code they give you and paste it here :)

[DeesBalls]

To convert to frozen/thawed, is usually a very long and annoying process... bit well with it in the end.

Snakes can go a long time with out eating, my adult bp has ate 3 times in a year, and her last meal was a rat pup.... same as my corn snake ate. Lol, so it is not really common for then not to eat, especially bps. I arise you try and switch over to f/t, its a lot better for the sale its self...

What o did was must stop feeding live.. she refused a few mice b4 so after that I started to offer f/t, it took about 4-5 months before I could get her to eat one it was the best day of my life lol...

What I had to do was thaw out the mouse, so it was nice and warm.. I used a hair dryer to heat the head and I also did something called "braining" which is where I took a small knife and cut the rats head to expose the brain and some juice ... I had to leave the food in the cage over night, but eventually she ate the mouse... she has refused for me still every time but 2 others, bit she is healthy and super sweet...


Don't stress out on a bp not eating, it is pretty usually like I said, and if yours is going into shed, that is probably the reason, but I would still try and switch to f/t...

This was all on my phone, so I hope everything came out right.

[slithermama]

http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/mambi1/CIMG0367.jpg
the tank he is in is 25 gallon.

[KORBIN5895]

So Lincoln is close to Fredricton correct?

I saw those snakes on kijiji. I almost got one but I am not a BP fan
Try white rats if it is eating white mice. My BP had color preference. Also what pet store do you go to?

The snake looks healthy.... nice tail stripe.

[slithermama]

yup bout 25 minutes outside of freddy on the st.john side. directionally of course lol.

[spots]

Do you have a hide or two for him in there?

[infernalis]

Tha BP looks healthy to me ;)

[alessia55]

He looks healthy :) It's hard to tell from the photo, but he's a bit on the small side for a 4yr old; he might be a bit younger :) ....Did you remove his hides for the photo? or does he just not have hides on both sides of his enclosure?

[millertime89]

that tank is WAY to small for him if he's 4 feet, get a decent measurement.

[ZARADOZIA]

Don't worry over not eating for a month. Some of us have had ours go 7+ months. Some times it's because of winter. Just watch for lethargy, weight loss, change in tecture of scales, alertness, etc.

We have a couple of threads going about how picky BP's are (like mine & Alessia's) and we are trying to switch them from mice to rats. We feed f/t (Frozen and then thawed). It took time but I weaned Sasha (my BP) off live because live is (can be) dangerous to them because mice/rats can fight back and actually kill our snakes.

[alessia55]

My 2yr old ball python is in a 45gal tank. 25gal for a 4ft ball python is way too small. We're not trying to be mean or critical, just trying to help you out! :) His tank needs 2 hides, one on each side of the tank, and a bigger tank would be nice.

[KORBIN5895]

Fyi the guy that sold that to you started it 5 or 6 bps. Ranging from 2 years to 5ish. He was sketchy. He had two forever and was selling 2 for 50 in his last kijiji add. Did you find him on kijiji?

He looks close to four feet compared to his driftwood. Not really sure. Also how is the lid secured? It looks like a aquarium lid and a escaped snake is not fun.

[Lankyrob]

Please take all the advice given here as it is meant - with completely good intent for you and the health of your snake, it may sound slightly critical but we all want what is best and it also sounds like you want the snake to be happy and healthy also.

A four foot snake needs a tank that is at least 3ft long by 1 foot deep and 1-1.5 foot tall, if not 4 foot long. Snakes also need a minimum of two hides, one at the hot end and one at the cold end, and a waterbowl large enough for the snake to get into completely.

(sorry if you know this already, would rather give too much info than not enough)
Bp need a hot end temp of 88-91f and a cold end of 75-78f, they need a minimum humidity of 55% and when they are in shed this should be a minimum of 65%. Personally i spray my tank once a day to about 75-80 and then let it "dry" to the minimum.

It looks like you have aspen as a bedding, this MAY mould with the humidity, personally i use reptibark but there are many options SHOULD you have any issues.

When the snake is fed there should be a noticeable lump left by the prey item in the snakes belly, this should last for around 24hours. My year old BP is eating weaner rats, one every 14 days.

If you have ANY questions or concerns then you are certainly in the right place - we will do everything we can to ensure you have a healthy happy snake. :)

[jarich]

If you have no problem getting the mice, then there is absolutely no reason to switch to rats. Like the others said, I would suggest giving him more to eat though. By the sounds of it he will happily gobble down two at a time. Like your vet said, I wouldnt worry about it at this point. Give it another try next week at your normal time.

[slithermama]

Yes I agree he should be in a larger tank that is why I have a 4 foot tall, by 4 foot long one coming just for him. The lid is secure, took the lighting mechanism out of the lid as well and I took his hides out so I could get a good pic of him. And korbin that is exactly who I bought him from, he wanted to sell us the brother to him as well but we figured we had better settle with one till we knew everything there was to know about taking care of bp. I don't use wood chips in his tank , to wet all the time. I use a washable mat that I wash every other day or so.

[KORBIN5895]

What is the width of the enclosure? Bps are mostly a ground snake so the height isn't necessary.

[millertime89]

4 foot tall is way too tall, 18" is gonna be plenty. He's not arboreal.

[ZARADOZIA]

4 foot tall is way too tall, 18" is gonna be plenty. He's not arboreal.

Have mercy lol Mine is 3x3x2 Plenty of room is by far better than not enough.

[Gungirl]

The good thing about having a viv that is too tall is you can divide it in half and end up with 2 vivs one on top of the other.

[alessia55]

Both my bp's like to get out and explore and climb... but not 4ft of it :p

[slithermama]

i got the big one so he could have lots to climb on and explore . he loves to climb and move sometimes for hours at a time lol. he loves to bath to so one side will be made so it can hold some water for him along with misters with timers of course. then some sort of terrain with den and heating pad on the bottom . i love doin up tank like that, have done it for frogs i had years ago . i really do , honestly want to give him a home that he really would love and live in for many yrs to come.

[jarich]

Sounds like a great set up. I think that there is no such thing as too big, as long as you provide enough cover and hides for them. Though they aren't arboreal they will still climb trees and explore, and the more they have to explore the more active they are. I agree, setting up an enclosure is loads of fun!

[slithermama]

well he finally shed , now to wait till monday to see if is hungry. i am gonna start feeding him frozen all the time, but nervous that it may take to long seeings where he hasnt eaten for 3 weeks now, but will be persistant anyways. Hope everyone had a great christmas, and a sweet new year.

[Nismo89]

3 weeks without eating is nothing for a snake generally speaking. It is also that time of year for breeding so that could be a reason he's not eating and he could very well be off feed until spring time. Just keep an eye on him and if he starts losing weight then its time for a vet visit or an assisted feeding.

[Lankyrob]

Three weeks without eating for a snake is like us skipping the biscuit with our morning cuppa, its nothing at all - keep persistant with the f/t and he WILL take it eventually :)

[slithermama]

thanks guys will keep that in mind.

[slithermama]

we adopted a 10 yr old ball python yesterday, he is friendly and active .http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/mambi1/CIMG0712.jpg

[KORBIN5895]

Nice pick up!

[Gungirl]

Is that duct tape in the enclosure??

[ZARADOZIA]

Grats! Glad he has a home!


Is that duct tape in the enclosure??

Yes, looks like a crack on the viv.

[SnakeyJay]

Sweet royal... Congrats :D

[slithermama]

yes that is duct tape? will that hurt him? according to the previous owner who said he had him the full 10 yrs said it has been in the tank since shortly after he baught him and tank? i am gonna take it off and seal it with aqarium sealer instead. the tape looks terrible with it in there.

[Gungirl]

If that tape was to get on the snake at all it could cause serious damage to him. It can rip off scales and more. I would NEVER allow any tape in with my snakes.

[slithermama]

it is on the outside of the tank actually, so it doesnt touch him and the glass is double layered so the crack is only on the outside, i was worried about that to till i gave the tank a good cleaning and sanitizing yesterday and was pleasantly surprised.

[slithermama]

and i think today we will put some branches and climbing vines in the tank to so he will come out more often, i was told he is shy but loves to be handled but they havent had to much time lately and had him in a large room all by himself no other noises or signs of life, and my house is on the quiet side but it has life flowing threw it all the time and he seems to be ok when i have him out on my shoulders but when in tank he goes straight for what i call the snake mansion lol where no one can see him and he cant see you lol.

[Lankyrob]

Shoulders are quite close to your neck, i would advise restricting him to your arms only :)

[KORBIN5895]

I was totally waiting foe that Rob!

[Lankyrob]

ITs my pet hate - cant help it :)

[KORBIN5895]

Hey you have very valid reasons. You changed my mind about it.

[Lankyrob]

Glad to hear it :) of one person doesnt get hurt (or worse) cos of my nagging then i am a happy man :)

[slithermama]

great starty to a natural habitat for my balls.
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/mambi1/CIMG0792.jpg
http://i1225.photobucket.com/albums/ee393/mambi1/CIMG0791.jpg